Hosepipe ban and marinas

They can't very well stop people from filling their tanks but a no-hosing-down rule would be reasonable, and is often in force in many marinas anyway.
 
Oh dear oh dear! What will the vast number of marina bound (mobo) boat owners do now? Most only ever turn up, wash the boat and then go home again.
 
Commercial supplies are metred and exempt from hosepipe bans.
However that doesn't mean that it is still right to waste it, washing boats with fresh water is a terrible waste,salt water does just as good if you chamois it off.
If marinas were smart they would charge people extra for such users and give discounts to those who only fill tanks.
 
sailorman said:
the local bbc bleating on tonight fawning over the Anglian water rep.
not one question, WOT about the LEAKS in the system then & when are they to be fixed
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Don't worry, you have Cambridge Water Co at home and Anglian Water at boat. No HP ban for home at present.
 
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If we still had domestic attic water tanks and the w/cos simply turned off the supply for a half hour every morning, I'm
Sure we would all bathe and ablute ' frugally', simples:eek:
 
sailorman said:
i do realise that, its just the acceptance by the media that the lack of water, is climatic & not partially down to wastage
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come and live in the SW. The local BBC go for South West Water with an almost feral viciousness with or without any excuse, enraged by the charges which reflect not the cost of providing water (comparable with anywhere else in the country) but the cost of cleaning up sewage discharges so that tourists can enjoy 30% of the country's bathing beaches whose cleanup was paid for by 3% of the population? The BBC even hold the privatised water company culpable for the Camelford aluminium sulphate poisoning tragedy which was perpetrated by the nationalised water authority the BBC so adore.
 
davidwf said:
From Anglian Water site
http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/water-resources/E90894F6CB2546F88BFF82408F9B81CE.aspx

Specifically states no Cleaning a private leisure boat using a hosepipe
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................unless required for safety reasons.

But you can always use a bucket.

A hosepipe ban does not appear to extend to filling a domestic water tank on a boat.

I did hear some marinas did remove hosepipes. But not to save water. Our marina has never provided them. My neighbour leaves his hose out on the pontoon and the other neighbours dog seems to think it is a doggy urinal !
 
From Thames Water:-

Exemptions
The following will be exempted from the restriction:
i) using a hosepipe in a garden or for cleaning walls or windows of domestic premises, paths or patios, a private leisure boat or an artificial outdoor surface, where such use is necessary for health and safety reasons.
 
Removing hoses in marinas I think was down to elfin safety perception of risk of sucking back bus into the supply in some cases. Our YC marina still has hoses on the pontoons.

Water for tank filling has never been restricted in previous droughts.

As for not boat washing with hoses, just wash down with salt water and rinse off selected areas like the cockpit seats with a bucket of fresh so they dry properly and you avoid wet bum syndrome. Otherwise plan to wash down with salt when rain is forecast to follow, or even do it in the rain. Boats on moorings never have the luxury of unlimited water for washdowns and survive well enough.
 
Please excuse that I have also posted this elsewhere.

Following an 'at length' discussion with their media centre this morning I have been able to clarify a number of points, most noteably those refering to potable water and when washing will be allowed. :


When can a boat be washed? - We asked if the washing of a boat would be allowed under the circumstances of a boat returning from sea in order to remove salt etc from screens and decks. In reponse it was deemed this may be allowed as this may cause a Health and Safety hazard, especially if it prevented clear view from the screens or made the decks unsafe for working. This may also apply to a build up of mould or similar type growth. These are points that have still to be fully clarified and for that reason a consultation period is now in place which will run for the next three weeks. It would not be permissable however, to wash the boat for the purpose of valeting. If you got an outside agency to wash the vessel, who offered washing as a professional service in the daily running of their business, they would be un-affected by the legislation and therefore will be allowed to use a hose.

Can a boat user legally fill a water tank? - Despite being given contrary information previously, Anglian Water have confirmed that they have no wish to stop boat users filling their domestic water tanks and will be happy for them to do so. This information will now be communicated throughout the company.

Will marinas be asked to remove hoses? - If the hose placement serves both washing and filling of water tanks, then marinas will be specifically asked to disuade boat owners from casually washing their boats as this will be an offence under the legislation, but because a hose may be used for filling water tanks also there will be no requirement to remove those already in place. Similarly, marinas will not be required to restrict water points. Again exact clarifications will be made following the consultation process.

The consultation process has been put into place where individuals and umbrella organisations such as the RYA are invited to submit their concerns. The process starts today and will run for the next three weeks.

 
MY littlebirchwoo said:
Following an 'at length' discussion with their media centre this morning I have been able to clarify a number of points, most noteably those refering to potable water and when washing will be allowed. :
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I didn't think these were ever unclear. Washing a boat was specifically mentioned in their FAQ as not allowed (and rightly so), and there was nothing that came anywhere close to preventing the filling of tanks. You seem to be the only person who misread it and got worried.

MY littlebirchwoo said:
When can a boat be washed? - We asked if the washing of a boat would be allowed under the circumstances of a boat returning from sea in order to remove salt etc from screens and decks. In reponse it was deemed this may be allowed as this may cause a Health and Safety hazard, especially if it prevented clear view from the screens or made the decks unsafe for working.
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Sounds to me like the water company being very careful because they don't know anything about boats, and they have rules saying that washing for safety purposes is allowed. But really, apart from a boat that has been abandoned under trees for long enough to grow a layer of slippery mould, I can't see how hosing down a boat with freshwater is remotely necessary for safety purposes. I wash KS's deck at the pontoon once a season, soon after lifting in, to clean off the dirt that accumulates over winter. Even that's only cosmetic, not safety-related. Only other washing is to remove mud from anchoring, using a bucket of seawater (bigger boats may have a saltwater hose).

OK, you have a windscreen and I don't, which you may need to remove salt from to see clearly, but surely a bucket and a sponge will do the job just as well? If I lived in an area with hosepipe bans (not currently planned where I am) and I saw you hosing down your boat to remove salt, I would be annoyed. If you then claimed it was necessary for safety purposes, I would be more than annoyed.

Pete
 
prv said:
OK, you have a windscreen and I don't, which you may need to remove salt from to see clearly, but surely a bucket and a sponge will do the job just as well? If I lived in an area with hosepipe bans (not currently planned where I am) and I saw you hosing down your boat to remove salt, I would be annoyed. If you then claimed it was necessary for safety purposes, I would be more than annoyed.
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If i've just had the weekend on the boat i haven't used any water for the toilet, not had a bath, not used the washing machine. Our total use of fresh water would be no more than a very few litres for drinking, washing and washing up.

During the weekend we would have almost certainly had a day at sea. My boat usually gets pretty wet and has a screen and windows all around. I'd go over the windows and topsides with half a bucket of wash and wax and a sponge. I'd then rinse that off with a hose, which might use a couple of buckets of water, certainly less than i'd have used if i was at home.

If you were lurking around the pontoons, getting annoyed or more than annoyed, that'd be tough i'm afraid.
 
About being worried - actually I had written an article yesterday following a quote on another site and sought clarifications from our local East Coast supplier Anglian Water and was told specifically in a statement (that has been duly retracted today) that the filling of any tank for recreational use would not be allowed. I daresay that the person whom I was getting this information from only had limited information himself, but still we had every right to publish our story.

I have since spent a good while speaking with their media centre, who had to seek clarification themselves on a number of issues, and whilst I am not advocating people go out and wash boats, I was seeking to find out what may be considered acceptable.

These clarifications were made today, and are still NOT set in stone as there is a three week consultation period currently underway.
 
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